


When I Wake Up

by elliotwritesgarbage



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff with a Happy Ending, Happy halloween, M/M, Nightmares, Oneshot, Phan - Freeform, Phanfiction, Protective Dan, Scared!Phil, Short & Sweet, Spooky, outlast - Freeform, spooky week fluff, very short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2016-10-29
Packaged: 2018-08-27 15:52:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8407627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elliotwritesgarbage/pseuds/elliotwritesgarbage
Summary: Phil was especially scared by Outlast II.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [varrylarry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/varrylarry/gifts).



> I was inspired (and scared out of my wits) by the new spooky week update. I had to write this.  
> This is dedicated to every single person who has let me come to them for help, even at 4:27 in the morning, notably my beta, who does everything for me and asks nothing in return. I love you.

Dan handed Phil a warm cup of tea. “Here.” He said. 

Phil silently extended his thank you with a small nod of his head. They sat in silence, slowly sipping their hot tea until Dan finally spoke up. 

“Was that…too much?” He looked at Phil sideways and borrowed his brow.

“Much.” 

Dan exhaled sharply and flattened his lips. He looked down and relaxed his mouth. The last time he had played Outlast he was alone, and Phil had nightmares for a week after just watching the video Dan uploaded. The second one was much more frightening, and Phil had trouble handling it. On camera, he had done well, but as the camera was turned off, so was Phil’s composure and he immediately broke down. He began to shake while Dan was turning on the lights, and began to cry when Dan finally looked back at him. Dan had gone to make tea without so much as a word.

He felt terrible for forcing it on him. Phil had been complaining for the past few days, and asking Dan if he could sit this one out. “It’ll be a treat for the viewers!” Dan had insisted. “Please, Phil?” He had added, with pleading eyes and an irresistible tone. Phil had agreed, although it was somewhat reluctantly. 

And so they sat, Phil blinking rather rapidly to keep tears at bay and Dan hardly blinking at all. They didn’t watch tv, and they didn’t put on music. Phil knew Dan was sorry, and he didn’t have to apologise. He wasn’t a wimp by any standards. Phil had an emotional strength, unrivalled by almost anyone Dan had met before and although he was strong, there were moments, few and far between, where he broke down. This was one of those moments. He had been scared too much, pushed too far, and the paint on his polished exterior had begun to peel and chip. 

Dan hated seeing him cry. He was supposed to be the happy, bubbly one, and Dan the pessimist. It was for that reason that Dan stood up and immediately sat back down, this time closer to Phil. He slowly reached for Phil’s hand, making sure Phil saw him moving. 

While holding his hand, he said, “I think it’s time for us to get some rest.” It was well past midnight. 

Phil nodded soundlessly, and together they walked to the bathroom and brushed their teeth. Phil was not in a conversational mood. In fact, he was silent, listening to every noise around him and jumping at the sirens outside. He winced every time the house creaked or the fan turned on. Dan walked him to his room as soundlessly as possible and made sure he was safe before he retreated into his own room. 

The night passed quietly for a few hours before Phil’s eyes snapped open and looked wildly around the room. The faint light from outside caught silhouettes in his room and made shadows dance around his bed. Phil felt as though he could not move. The shadows looked real, and human, and solid. He knew he could not stay until morning. He frantically fumbled for his phone, finally finding it under his pillow, still plugged into the wall. The time was 4:27am when he finally turned on his flashlight and looked around his room. Of course, there were no people, only his dresser, houseplants, and clothes scattered on the floor. He gathered all his courage and firmly planted his big toe on the ground. Wasting no time, he began tiptoeing towards Dan’s room, as silently as he could, pointing his flashlight towards every corner of the hallway along the way. After several uncomfortable moments, Phil pushed open Dan’s door to find him fast asleep in his bed. 

Phil desperately did not want to disturb him. He felt incredibly guilty for seeking Dan’s attention at this time. He wanted to turn back but knew that he could not go back to his room without breaking down or losing his mind. It was such a stupid thing to be so worked up over. Phil had become so panicked over this that he let out a small whine, which subsequently awoke Dan. Dan winced at the harsh cell phone light shining towards his bed. 

“Phil?” He whispered.

“Yeah.” Said Phil. 

Dan motioned for him to join him in his bed. As Phil settled down under the covers, his anxiety worsened, and all at once was gone when Dan put his arm over Phil. His bed was warm and safe and comfortable and everything Phil was not. 

“Did you have a nightmare?” Dan mumbled. 

“Yeah.” 

“I can’t believe you were brave enough to walk to my room. When I had nightmares as a kid, I used to lay frozen in my bed until the sun came up or I fell back asleep. You’re so brave.” Dan praised him for the smaller things. Phil began to tear up again. 

“Dan,” he whispered, “it’s not real. Right?” 

Dan yawned deeply before replying, “Of course not. We live in busy London with all the cars and the noise and the shops, not in a dusty town with a satanic church.” Even in a lackadaisical state, he was his sarcastic self. His tone immediately dropped when he felt Phil tense beside him. “You’re safe. You’re here, I’m real.”

Dan drifted off to sleep and after some time, so did Phil. It would be untrue to say that he slept soundly, but when he did begin to shake, or whimper and moan, Dan would shush and comfort him, even in a sleep-induced trance. They stayed that way for hours, and when they woke up, slowly, with sunlight dripping in through the windows, Phil was no longer scared.


End file.
